| If you normally buy... |
Instead, buy...and why... |
| Breaded formed chicken patties |
Chicken burgers and bread crumbs
Breaded, formed patties are often parfried (partially fried) in hydrogenated
oils or soy oils. Chicken burgers can be thawed and dipped in bread
crumbs for a crispy chicken patty. |
| Breaded chicken breasts (schnitzel) |
Individually frozen chicken breasts, or breasts that have been butterflied
and tenderized by the butcher
See above. If you make them yourself, you can freeze them. |
| Hot dogs (frankfurters, weiners) |
Butcher stuffed sausages
They're tastier, and made from real meat. If you don't like the
skin, try kebabs (not the British definition, the middle eastern roll of
ground meat on a stick). |
| Vegetable Shortening (Crisco type) |
Solid unhydrogenated palm kernel oil, also called "vegetable ghee"
(Spoons brand type)
Vegetable shortening has had most of the nutrition burned out of it,
whereas the solid yellowish palm oil has been extracted by gentler means
that preserve most of its nutrition. |
| Spreadable margarine |
Whipped or spreadable butter
Be aware that some spreadable butters have junk oils added to them
to make them smoother. A whipped butter made from only butter is
the best option. |
| American cheese |
Mild cheddar cheese
Why get a cheap imitation when you can go for the real thing?
American cheese often has junk fats, sugar, and other things added to it
that don't need to be there. With cheddar, you can get the same flavor
in a thinner slice. It may cost more per kg. but you're using less
at a time, so it balances or saves money. |
| Soy bacon bits |
Gribenes (chopped fried chicken skin with onions), smoked goose
breast, or real bacon
Can't argue with taste. |
| Table salt |
Sea salt
Although most sea salt in grocery stores is somewhat refined, it's
a lesser evil compared to table salt, which has harmful additives to keep
it from clumping. These additives also alter the taste of some foods
in a bad way, particularly fish or naturally fermented breads and grains.
Using sea salt is one way to at least make sure you're actually getting
the balanced mineral profile salt is supposed to have, and don't mess up
a dish. Click
here for more information about the types of salt. Best is to
use a type of gray salt. |
| Corn or potato starch |
Oat flour
Oat flour is extremely starchy, and also has about 11% protein.
This makes it excellent for thickening, gravies, and as a "stickifier"
for flat breads. |
| Mayonaisse |
Techina or a Mediterranean or eastern European brand of mayo that
uses olive oil as the oil
Mayonaisse is made from eggs and oil. It's best to make your
own, but if you don't have that kind of time, techina is the next best
thing. Mix it fairly thin, and you have a very nice squeezable sandwich
dressing. |
| Ramen or pot noodles |
Medium or fine couscous or super thin vermicelli
Ramen and pot noodles are often fried in junk fats. Couscous
can be made very quickly and easily with some hot water in a covered bowl.
It can also be added to a cup of soup to add a little substance to it.
Super thin vermicelli can be microwaved in a few minutes. |
| Macaroni and cheese box |
Elbow macaroni, sharp cheddar, parmesian, and sour cream
Why sacrifice flavor when the real thing is just as quick and easy? |
| Tortilla chips, taco shells |
Corn (hominy) tortillas (cut and fry them yourself)
Tortilla and corn chips and taco shells are usually fried in corn oil
or some other junk fat. It's better to fry them at home. |
| Any kind of liquid vegetable oil |
Olive oil or ghee for cooking, coconut or palm oil for baking |
| Pancake syrup |
Real maple syrup or silan (palm date syrup) |
| Snack crackers or crisps |
Nuts and dried fruits
When you want a quick snack, why eat the less satisfying option?
Go on and get some nuts and dried fruit. It gives you the best nutrition,
energy, and taste. |
| Fruit-at-the-bottom yogurt |
The large tub of plain yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, and sealable
cups
You can make your own fruit at the bottom yogurt. I like the
frozen fruit option for school lunches because it keeps it cold until break
or lunch time. |
| Root beer or malt beer |
Kvass
This is a very mildly alcoholic beer type drink that is very popular
in Russia. It's got negligible amounts of alcohol, so where it might
not be good if alcoholism runs in your family, for most people it won't
kick you off the wagon. There are various types, and some are naturally
sweetened with raisins or honey. You can easily add a bit of stevia
tea to this without harming the taste at all. |
